Doll construction



Oct. 2, 1934. w sc KE 1,975,381

- DOLL CONSTRUCTION Filed July 13, 1953 ,INVENTOR. 5M

Patented Oct. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES DOLL CONSTRUCTION Erich Woschke, Bronx, N. Y., assignor to Samuel Kalner and Karl Ohlbaum, New York, N. Y.

Application July 13, 1933, Serial No. 680,215

r 2 Claims.

This invention relates to doll construction. It is particularly directed to a dolls eye set and mounting therefor.

An object of this invention is to provide highly improved means for causing rotation or rolling of the dolls eyes within the sockets upon moving the doll from sitting to lying poistion and vice versa, the construction being such, furthermore, that movement of the eyes from open to closed and from closed to open positions is relatively quick and occupies onlya part of the time required for moving the doll either from sitting to lying position, or vice versa, thus more accurately simulating the eye movements of alchild.

A further object of this invention is to provide a neat, compact and durable doll construction of the'character described, which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture,- easy to assemble, smooth and positive in operation, and practical and efficient to a high degree.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

' My invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplivfied in the construction hereinafter described, and .of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a partial, elevational, cross-sectional view of a dolls head provided with an eye set and mounting embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View taken 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the head in lying position.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, 10 designates a dolls head provided with a pair of spaced eye sockets 11 of usual construction, and with an interior projection 12 disposed above the nose of the doll. At the chin thereof, the interior of the doll may further be formed with a projection 13 for the purpose hereinafter appearing. Attached to the interior of the dolls head in the manner hereinafter appearing, is a frame member 16 preferably made of a single piece of suitably shaped and bent metal.

The frame 16 comprises a horizontal portion 17, the forward edge 18 whereof is embedded within the projection 12, the latter preferably being formed with a slot for receiving said end portion on line on line 18. Extending from said portion 1'? is a downwardly and rearwardly projecting inclined portion 19 from which there extends a forwardly and downwardly extending inclined portion 20, said portions 19 and 20 being disposed substantially at right angles to one another.

Extending from the portion 20 is a still further downwardly and forwardly inclined portion 21, the outer pronged end 22 whereof is embedded in the interior of the chin adjacent the projection 13. There also extends from opposite sides of the portion 20 of the frame member 16, a pair of parallel upwardly and forwardly inclined plate portions 23 terminating in upwardly and rearwardly inclined edges 24 adjacent to and between the eye sockets 11.

It will be noted that the frame member 16 is disposed in a vertical plane passing through the nose, mouth and chin of the head 10, and is firmly secured to the interior of said head. Mounted between the parallel plate portions 23 and secured thereto in any suitable manner, is a split tubular or cylindrical guide or member 30 lying against the inner surface of the portion 20 of the frame. The tubular member 30 may be open at the opposite ends thereof and is inclined upwardly and rearwardly.- The lower end of said tubular member may rest on the upper surface of the projection 13 and contacts substantially the inner surface of the mouth of the dolls head. The upper end of the tube terminates somewhat short of the portion 19 of the frame. Said tube 30 is formed with a longitudinal slot 31 in the side thereof adjacent and between the eye sockets 11. Both the bottom and upper edges of the tubes may be formed with pairs of diametrically disposed notches 34. A rubber band 35 extending about the tube is received within said notches. The rubber band extends about the plate portions 23, providing portions 36 traversing the openings at the ends of the tube.

For the purpose hereinafter appearing, there are received within said tube 30, a pair of balls or other suitable rolling or sliding gravity actuated members 38 made of metal or any other suitable material. The balls may roll or slide back and forth within the tube upon changing the position of the doll. The portions 36 of the rubber band serve as abutments to limit movement of the balls. The contact of the balls with the rubber, of course. deadens the noise.

For the purpose herinafter appearing, there is attached to the abutment 12 on the inner surface of the dolls head, a spring 40 made of a single piece of flat spring metal and comprising a portion 41 inserted within the slot in said abutment and contacting the end portion 18 of the frame 16. Extending from the portion 41 are a pair of spaced, parallel spring arms 42 extending between the eye sockets 11.

Supported by said spring arms 42 is an eye set 45 described in detail hereinafter. Said eye set 45 comprises an axle 46 to the outer ends of which there are attached a pair of hollow substantially semi-spherical dolls eyes 4'? received within the sockets 11. The spring arms 42 are adapted to engage the axle 46 on opposite sides of the middle thereof for pressing the dolls eyes 47 within said sockets. Attached to the mid-portion of said axle 46 is an arm 50 projecting through the slot 31, the outer or free end 52 of said arm being received between the two balls 38.

It will now be understood that as the head is moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 4, the balls will roll from one'end of the tube 30 to the opposite end thereof and consequently cause pivotal movement of the axle 46 about its axis. When the head is moved from the position shown in Fig. 4 back to the position shown in Fig. 1, the balls will move back to their original position again causing swinging movement of the dolls eyes. In this manner, the dolls eyes may be moved from waking or open position to sleeping or closed position. Upon moving the head from the position shown in Fig. l to the position shown in Fig. 4, the eyes will not close until the tube 30 passes horizontal position, because the balls will not roll to the outer end until the tube passes such position. As soon as the tube passes the horizontal position, the balls will quickly roll to the opposite end turning the eyes. Thus the eyes do not turn gradually from the beginning of the movement of the head, but quickly as soon as the tube 30 passes horizontal position and the balls roll from one end of the tube to the other.

The edges 24 of the plate portions 23 of said frame 16 are spaced from the axle and do not contact said axle, the spring arms 42 serving to hold the eyes within the socket. However, should a finger or instrument be poked or pushed against one of the eyes, the axle 46 will contact the edges 24 and prevent said axle from falling down or out of position. As soon as the eyes are released, the spring will push the same back to normal position within the eye sockets.

It will be understood that instead of the rubber band, small rubber pads may be inserted at the ends of the tubes. Furthermore, instead of rubber stops at the ends of the tubes, a piece of metal cut from the end of the tube may be bent into proper position for stopping rolling of the balls. The balls may be provided with a suitable soft covering to deaden the noises when the balls roll within the tube.

It will thus vbe seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In doll construction, a dolls head having a pair of eye sockets, a spring attached to the interior of said head, an axle having a pair of dolls eyes attached to the ends thereof and received 100 within said sockets, said spring engaging said axle for retaining said eyes within said sockets, a frame fixed within said head, a tube supported by said frame having a longitudinal slot, an arm fixed to said axle and extending through said slot 105 into said tube, and a pair of sliding members disposed within said tube on opposite sides of said arm for rotating said axle, said frame having a pair of parallel portions formed with edges disposed adjacent to and spaced from said axle, said 110 portions being positioned tocontact with and stop inward movement of the axle when pushed inwardly against the tension of said spring.

2. In doll construction, a dolls head having a pair of eye sockets, an axle having a pair of eyes at the ends thereof, a spring fixed to the inside of said head and engaging said axle for pressing said eyes into said sockets, an arm attached to said axle and extending at'right angles thereto, gravity actuated means unconnected to said arm for actuating said arm to rotate said axle about its axis, and stop means for limiting inward movement of said eyes upon moving said eyes inwardly against the tension of said spring, said stop u means being normally out of contact with respect 1% to said axle.

ERICH WOSCHKE. 

